This invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for packaging food materials in the form of individually wrapped single slices; and more specifically, to such a method and apparatus having an improved arrangement for guiding a continuous strip of wrapped food material to a cutting assembly that cuts that continuous strip into individually wrapped single slices.
Various food materials, particularly cheeses, are sold in packages containing individually wrapped single slices of the food material, and various prior art methods and apparatuses are known for preparing food materials in this form. Typically, with these prior art arrangements, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,021, a food material is extruded into a continuous envelope or tube of wrapping film to form a wrapped food material, that wrapped food material is then flattened into a continuous strip, and this continuous strip is pressed at spaced intervals to express the food material from between those spaced intervals, thereby establishing wrapped food material slices of a predetermined length. The continuous strip of wrapped slices is then cut to produce individually wrapped slices of the food material.
While these prior art methods and apparatuses perform very satisfactorily, it is believed that they may be improved. For instance, in these prior art methods and apparatuses, typically the continuous strip of wrapped food material is loosely fed to the assembly that cuts that strip into the individual pieces. Because of this, the continuous strip is not always properly fed to the cutting assembly, particular upon the initial feeding of the strip to the cutting assembly. Also, the continuous strip of wrapped food material sometimes becomes blocked in its passage through the cutting assembly.